Rampant

Re "Whose Russia to Lose?" Opinion, Sept. 12: While Walter Russell Mead and Janine R. Wedel report rampant, deplorable Russian corruption, the worst part of their stories is the ethical corruption revealed in the U.S. government and some of our revered private banking and educational institutions. Shame on us. BOB KELLOCK Long Beach When there were long bread lines, millions of unpaid workers and rampant corruption among government officials in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, we were told that communism was to blame.

In his 30 years as a pharmacist, including three at a CVS Caremark store in Northern California, Wayne Wilson said it was all too common for drugstore employees to steal prescription drugs, which would often make their way to the black market. "It happens far more often than people realize," he told me. "I used to be shocked. I'm not shocked any more. " Wilson said he personally intervened after a CVS pharmacy worker in Eureka was caught slipping painkillers into his pocket. That worker was arrested and fired, he said.

Regarding "Water Logging," May 13: As a citizen concerned about the global effects of rampant logging, I was so relieved to read the article about harvesting submerged forests. Now, if we could just flood the world's forests, we would have an unlimited supply of "eco-friendly" lumber. BRIAN SMITH San Pedro

Another political aide at Los Angeles City Hall has filed a harassment lawsuit, this time targeting the office of Councilman Mitchell Englander in the San Fernando Valley. A former Englander staffer, who identified herself as Jane Doe in her filing, alleges that a top aide to the councilman repeatedly made inappropriate jokes and sexual comments. She claimed such comments were "rampant" in the lawmaker's office and included improper remarks from the councilman himself. The lawsuit is the second to offer allegations of harassment within a council office in recent weeks.

Jane Gebers (letter, March 1) hit the nail on the head--pun intended--by calling for a temporary construction halt. Indeed, nearly all the problems we are facing stem from overpopulation, which we invite by rampant building and development. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles economy seems to be fatally addicted to unbridled growth and no one is offering a rehabilitation program. JAMES PERRY JASTER Canoga Park

Lester Thurow carefully explained how a U.S. attack on birth control in the Third World could boomerang. It is unfortunate that charismatic elder preachers and political leaders don't realize that family planning needs high-tech help. High birth rates are rampant in the Middle East, Central America and Africa. That is where wars and terrorism persist. ROBERT LIGARE Manhattan Beach

I'm appalled to read (Hot Property, June 4) that Miss Streisand has bought a "mansion" in Beverly Hills--and plans to tear it down and build another for at least an equal investment of money. Such hedonism, such decadence, such egotism that is rampant in the entertainment industry! There are so many ways to lend a hand financially where there are sad needs--and perhaps she could make do with the mansion that is. A. R. PEARCE Los Angeles

To the editor: Abraham Verghese's review of Joel Havemann's "A Life Shaken" and Michael J. Fox's " Lucky Man" (June 16) refers to the movement opposing stem-cell research as "this Luddite trend." The Luddites who smashed weaving machines at the beginning of the 19th century were not opposed to progress per se, but rather to rampant unrestrained industrialization, which they wisely foresaw (and personally experienced) as leading to dehumanization and social upheaval. The Luddites themselves would welcome advances in science and medicine intended to alleviate human suffering.

Adam White's New York was not our New York ["Highly Overrated," Letters, Dec. 14]. My husband and I had our first visit this past October. I tripped on a curb on 8th Avenue near Times Square and fell flat on the ground. A UPS driver stopped his van to ask if he could take me to a hospital. A nearby Italian restaurant offered me ice and a glass of Chianti. Compassion in New York ran rampant for this senior couple. Karen and Terry Fleming San Pedro

TAIYUAN, China - Air China Flight 1236 was supposed to take off at 8:10 p.m. for Beijing from Xian, hometown of China's famous terra cotta warriors. It felt like the warriors could have marched faster. What was supposed to be a 100-minute flight last month ended up delayed, diverted and canceled to the point that it took passengers 18 hours to get to Beijing. China's skies are in a state of almost permanent gridlock. During the month of July, only 17.8% of flights departing from Beijing's airport were on time, according to FlightStats.

Nokia, taking a chapter right out of Apple's playbook, is sending invitations for a press event that gives only a hint of what it might be about. It's unclear what the Finnish phone maker will unveil at the May 14 event in London, but the invitation gives two clues. It says: "The Nokia Lumia story continues," and in a much harder-to-see text, adds: "See what's next. " Such invites have been an Apple hallmark that often fuels rampant speculation and generates buzz. PHOTOS: The top smartphones of 2013 For Nokia's press event, there's already several theories floating around.

Paris-based designer Isabel Marant rhapsodizes about Los Angeles the way most people rhapsodize about her hometown. "In a minute you can be at the sea or in Joshua Tree," she says. "There are so many things to do in nature. But I love the architecture too. There's everything I love - the sun and the light. I have always thought this is a place I could live. " Marant, 45, launched her boho-cool label with jewelry in 1994. Soon after, she expanded into clothing. Over the years she has made quite a study of the L.A. look but did not set foot in the City of Angels until 2010.

A two-year study of more than 1,200 seafood samples by Oceana, an environmental advocacy group, found that a third of seafood sold in grocery stores and restaurants is mislabeled, the group announced Thursday. DNA testing of seafood samples between 2010 and 2012 found that 33% were mislabeled according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The most commonly mislabeled fish were snapper and tuna. Of the samples labeled as snapper, 87% were mislabeled. More than 30 different species of fish were found to be substituted for snapper, but the most common were rockfish and tilapia.

Just over 8.5 billion recyclable cans were sold in California last year. The number redeemed for a nickel under California's recycling law: 8.3 billion. That's a return rate of nearly 100%. That kind of success isn't just impressive, it's unbelievable. But the recycling rate for certain plastic containers was even higher: 104%. California's generous recycling redemption program has led to rampant fraud. Crafty entrepreneurs are driving semi-trailers full of cans from Nevada or Arizona, which don't have deposit laws, across the border and transforming their cargo into truckfuls of nickels.

If you're one of the millions of new players of the addictive online Pictionary-like game Draw Something (which earned its maker, OMGPOP, a $180-million payday from buyer Zynga), you know there's one thing that Draw Something players can't seem to erase: cheating. For those who haven't played, the game mechanics are simple. You, the artist, are given a palette of colors and a word to draw out with your finger. The object is to get your opponent to guess it correctly. If she does, you both get play money that can be used to buy in-game stuff like new paint colors and brush shapes.

Re "Caltrans using suits to fund roads," March 27 So developers are upset because they have to pay fines and fees for the extra use of the freeways and environmental impact their developments create. Too bad, so sad. It seems Caltrans should have an ally in the powers-that-be, which issue permits for the overdevelopment that is rampant. It makes sense that the more you build, the more people you have sharing space. No way do I think there is anything altruistic in the "urban planning" taking place these days.

We'll repair your credit, guaranteed! Correct negative information on your reports! Excellent for late payments! -- Credit repair companies, which are rampant on the Internet, appear to be providing a wonderful service. Just imagine -- negative items on your credit report could be wiped out with only a few easy payments. Keep imagining.

The arrest of a South Pasadena investment manager on insider trading charges extended the government's sweeping investigation beyond Wall Street into a remote outpost of the investment world. Danny Kuo, a technology expert at Whittier Trust Co., was taken into custody by FBI agents in the cold pre-dawn hours Wednesday at his two-story Spanish-style home in a residential neighborhood. Unlike the dozens of high-level hedge fund managers who have been arrested in the government's four-year crackdown on illicit trading, Kuo, 36, toiled at a mid-size 77-year-old firm that keeps a low profile and caters to rich families.

Motion Picture Assn. of America Chief Executive Chris Dodd is calling on Silicon Valley and Hollywood to jointly fight the entertainment industry's biggest enemy: piracy. The former U.S. senator from Connecticut said it was time for California's two signature industries to stop sparring over the issue of rampant online piracy. "We have so much in common," Dodd told a gathering of scientists and engineers who work for the entertainment industry. "There is so much we can accomplish together — for our customers and for the millions of Americans we employ.